Mamidi Tandra: How Godavari Mango Jelly Is Sun-Dried Layer by Layer

Mamidi Tandra, the mango jelly sold as aam papad elsewhere in India, is one of the best-known foods of the Godavari districts. Atreyapuram, the delta village also famous for Putharekulu, is the name most people connect with it.

It is made in summer, when ripe mangoes are plentiful. The fruit is pulped and strained, sweetened with sugar or jaggery, and spread in a very thin layer over palm-leaf or bamboo mats laid out in the sun.

Once that layer has dried, another is spread over it, and then another, often over many days. A thick block of Tandra can hold dozens of layers. Cut through a good piece and you can see them, like the grain in wood.

The weather is the real ingredient. Strong, dry sun sets each layer properly; a cloudy or humid spell slows everything down and can spoil a batch. That is why proper Mamidi Tandra is a seasonal craft even though it is sold all year round.

Good Tandra is chewy and pliable, deep orange, and tastes of mango first and sugar second. If it is very bright, glassy, or tastes mainly of sugar, it has usually been padded out with starch or colour.

Because it is dried, Mamidi Tandra keeps and travels well, which makes it an easy gift. Store it somewhere cool and dry, wrapped so it does not pick up moisture, and cut it into strips as you need it.